


How to forgive the unforgivable

by Missyr256



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pack Feels, Stiles wasn't taken by the ghost riders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-22 21:44:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9626840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missyr256/pseuds/Missyr256
Summary: Theo is having an experience that makes him reflect about his past and the decisions he had taken.Can he still be forgiven or is it too late for him find redemption?Will the pack ever accept him as one of their own?Read and find out :)





	1. Left for dead

**Author's Note:**

> Hy guys,
> 
> this is the first real fanfiction that I post. Sorry for any mistakes I'm not a native speaker.  
> Feel free to point out any mistakes and criticize so I can improve :)
> 
> Have fun :*

They had locked Theo into one of the many cells at the sheriff's station and went on some stupid suicide mission to capture one of the ghost riders. Theo told them that he knew a few things about them and could be of help but they quickly dismissed him, telling him that they didn't and would never trust him. What did he think? That he could betray them the way he had done in the past, almost killing Scott and actually killing two members of his pack, and they would forgive him? That was ridiculous. None of them would ever forgive him for the things he had done to them and he would never dare to ask for their forgiveness in the first place. Theo was sure that no matter what he would do, he could never make it up to any of them again. Malia had been right when she suggested to kill him once and for all so they would finally be rid of him. Oh Malia. He probably felt worst about the way he had treated her. Even if he didn't care about any of them back them, he did have kind of a soft spot for her. To him her aggressive nature and stubborn behavior was absolutely adoring – not that he would ever tell her that. A compliment coming from him would possibly only making her choke or want to hang herself. While Theo was deep in thought he failed to notice someone coming into the station and only when the bars where practically ripped out, he saw the tall figure standing at the entry of his cell.

'Mr. Douglas? How is this even possible? I thought they killed u. How the fuck are you even still alive and what the hell are you doing here?'

'Well that's a lot of questions of which you don't deserve to know the answer. The only thing you have to know is that they never planned on killing me, they just wanted to make me stronger. As you can see, I'm a lot stronger now. But enough of the chit chat, that's not what I'm here for'.

'Then what are you here for', Theo asked him already dreading the answer.

'Well to get rid of you of course. You might believe that you have been a success but contrary to your wishful thinking, you had been a failure just like the rest. And you should know best that the doctors don't leave proof of that. '

'I'm not a failure', Theo roared. 'I brought for chimeras back, I managed to kill Scott and split his entire pack I...'

Douglas caught him off by squeezing his throat 'Oh if you managed to kill little Scottie, how does it come he is still alive, care to explain it? And how does it come that he pack is back together and that two of your pack mates have joined them? Oh right, I almost forgot. You completely lack leadership, that's why they left your pack. You know if you hadn't been so focused solemnly on yourself and didn't fuck with everyone maybe someone would come to save you now. But I don't see anyone, do YOU? NO, of course not because NOBODY GIVES A FUCKING SHIT ABOUT YOU. They doctors used you for their own purposes and Scott will never forgive you for everything you have done. Don't you get it kid. You were just a means to an end nothing more, nothing less. You were never important nor will anyone care that you are gone'.

With that he led go of Theo's throat and pushed and threw him against the wall. Theo felt a single tear rolling down his face and quickly swiped it away. Douglas was right, there was no one on this world that gave a damn about him. Scott and his pack would probably even be glad that somebody had managed to finally get rid of him. He had never felt so lonely and worthless before.

'Then why don't you just get it over with at least then I don't have to listen to your annoying voice anymore', Theo tried in a weak attempt to sound cocky one last time. 

If he had to be honest he would have admitted that he was fucking scared. He didn't know what was going to await him once he was gone. He had already been to one hell and it had been worse than anything he could ever imagine. What if being dead would bring him to a place that was even worse than that. His body started trembling before he could try to stop it. He was utterly terrified.

'Oh look who suddenly isn't mouthy anymore', Douglas grinned maliciously.

'Do it', Theo choked out.

'My my, not so fast there kid. Before I ALLOW you to eventually die, I will have some fun with you. After all there is no sound as beautiful as the screams of the tortured.'

Theo felt his body growing cold upon hearing Mr. Douglas say that. Great so he wouldn't just die but also getting tortured in the most of brutal ways until he would certainly beg for Mr. Douglas to end his life. 'Guess that's my punishment at last. I don't even get to die an honorable death' he thought to himself. Before he had anymore time pitying himself he heard a buzzing sound and a second later he felt an excruciating pain on his back where the electrocuted whip hat landed. He had no time to recover from the first hit as the next already followed. Within minutes he was lying on the ground shaking and within a pool of his own blood. 

'Let's see how much our big bad were coyote can take', Douglas laughed cruelly at that.

He continued to hit him with the electrocuted whip until there was nothing left but a shaking mess of Theo on the ground. Then Douglas went ahead and broke literally every single bone in his body but Theo still refused to die. The pain was unbearable and all he wanted was to give up and succumb to the darkness. However, the fear of what might lay ahead of him made him refuse to give up.

'Well well, I have to admit I'm a little impressed. I thought you'd beg for me to end your miserable life a lot sooner. But it doesn't matter at least this way we are going to have so much more fun'.

The look on Mr. Douglas face was maniac. Next thing he did was taking out a lighter and slowly burning the sensitive skin on Theo's chest and neck. He howled in pain. And it didn't take long for Theo to vomit due to the sickening smell of his own burning flesh. Mr. Douglas watched every reaction he got out of Theo with a satisfied smile and a cold look in his eyes.

'Pl, Please'', Theo begged. ''Y-Y-You d-d-d-don't have t-t-to d-do t-that'. 

Douglas laughed at him. 'Seriously Theo you are trying to appeal to my good heart? How heartbreaking. Oh as we are talking about hearts how would you like it if I take out yours. After all everybody believes you are heartless anyway and after what you did to your own sister it would be only fair to give you a taste of your own medicine'.

Theo brought himself up to his knees and let out one last desperate howl, filled with all the pain and regret he had never let out before. Then he collapsed and the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was a large knife flashing in the moonlight.


	2. Rescue mission

'Do you really think it was wise to leave him there?'Hayden asked Scott in a doubtful voice.

Before he could answer Malia cut in 'If anyone asked me, YOU TWO IDIOTS should have never brought him back in the first place. No one knows what he might be planning already. We should have just killed him', she murmured the last part but everyone heard her anyway due to their advanced hearing.

'I never said I support Hayden and Liam's decision to bring him back but maybe he really can help us with this. I mean what do we have to lose? We have reached a point where there is no back nor forth, if he can help us to save my best friend, my pack and everyone I care about as well as the rest of Beacon Hills, I gladly take that risk'.

Malia looked to the ground feeling slightly ashamed of herself. 'Okay, I just completely trust you with that', she told Scott than and received a small smile in return 'Thank you Malia, I will not disappoint you'. She nodded at him and then added with a smirk 'If he does betray us, however, I'm going to kill him and there is nothing you can do about it'.

Scott didn't answer that because he knew there was no way he'd be able to stop her should this be the case so he just shrugged and they continued building their lightning protector in comfortable silence. 

'Are you guys sure this is going to work'? Liam asked after a while and everyone shrugged their shoulders. 'Great so we are risking our life, trying to catch a ghost rider with a damn weird self build lightning protector and no one knows whether this is going to work at all. Just fucking great.'

'Liam calm down', Mason said putting a hand on his shoulders.

'No, I don't want to fucking calm down and I don't want to fucking die either'.

'Listen kid, no one forced you to do this. If you want to fucking run away then do it, but if we don't manage to figure this shit out there will soon be no place to run to anymore. Everyone you love and care about will be taken and forgotten. You are a werewolf, those powers you have they are a gift but if you are unable to see it as such and want to be a fucking coward then by all means go ahead, no one will stop you', Malia's eyes flashed blue for a moment and Scott stepped in between the two of them to avoid any fights.

'Liam listen', Scott started in a calm voice. 'You are part of my pack, you're my first beta and like a brother to me. I need you in this. Only together we can defeat them – as a pack. I know all of this is really terrifying and believe me there is nothing I'd like to do more then just run away and leave all of this behind but we can actually do something against them. We know what they are. All those innocent people they have no idea what lies ahead of them. You always enjoyed the power you got when you became a werewolf but don't forget that with great power, there comes great responsibility or as Allison once said, we protect those that cannot protect themselves'.

'Wow, that was a heartfelt speech', Lydia said trying to lighten the mood that had become really icy. 

Liam bowed his head in a gesture of respect. 'I'm so sorry. Both of you are right of course it's just so damn terrifying and we are constantly in situations where I'm not sure whether we live to see another day. But if I had the chance to go back in time and refuse the bite, I wouldn't do it. You all have become my family and if we fall, it will be together. '

'Ah enough of this already', Malia said but if you looked closely you could see that her eyes were shimmering in the light.

Just then an ear deafening howl filled the night. And everyone's hairs stood on end. 

'What the hell was that'? Hayden was the first to ask.

'It's Theo and it sounds as though he is about to die', Malia said emotionless.  
'I won't ask anyone to risk his life to save him but if you ask me, enough people have already died in this godforsaken town and his blood won't be on my hands so I'...

Before Scott could finish his sentence the pack was ready to go and Malia turned towards him 'Please spare us another speech. We had enough of them for a lifetime. Let's go save that cockroach's sorry ass'. Then her eyes flashed blue, Scott's red and Liam and Hayden's yellow as they ran as fast as they could towards the station.


	3. If you call for one wolf ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the 3rd chapter. Hope you like it.   
> You want me to make longer chapters? Leave a comment and convince me to do so ;)
> 
> Have fun :*

Mr. Douglas inspected the large knife in his hands for a few more seconds before he slowly plunged it into Theo's flesh twisting and turning it in a way that would cause him the utmost of pain. Theo was still hanging between life and death but he could already see the light starting to fade away and it being replaced by darkness. 

Then when he was about to finally succumb to the pain and give up, the will to live was suddenly overwhelming and in a last desperate attempt he tried to fight back. Douglas hit him hard across the face and he crashed into the wall behind him, unable to get back up again. 'So this is it', Theo thought. 'I'm really going to die'. Just in that moment he realized how lonely he had been his whole life and that there were so many things he wished he could change. So many things he wanted to say. If only he had more time, he would beg for Scott's, Malia's, hell he'd beg for the entire packs forgiveness. All he had ever wanted was to be appreciated. For someone to actually care for him. But no one would come to stand by him now. There would be no one to hold his hand as he closed his eyes forever. He couldn't stop the stream of tears flowing down his face. Douglas plunged the knife into him again and slowly but effectively managed to cut a hole into his chest. 

'For-forgive me Malia', Theo choked out and blood spluttered out of his mouth while he was speaking. 'For-forgive me Stile. S-Scott I-I'm sorry'. 

He coughed and more blood came running out of his mouth. 

'For-forgive m-me s-sister', it was the last thing coming out of his mouth before he closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

Douglas closed his hand around Theo's heart, ready to rip it out of his chest.  
'And now finally the moment I have been waiting for', he smiled cruelly at him. 'Any more last words? Any calls you want to make? Oh sorry I forgot, there is no one you could call. No family, no friends, no pack, you are all alone'. 

'Not entirely', Malia stepped into the station. 

Mr. Douglas looked really surprised. 'What are YOU doing here? Don't you have a good reason to want him gone? Remember he shot you and left you for dead.'

He let go of Theo and stood up to face Malia. 

'You know I would love to offer you to kill him yourself but I have worked so hard to get to this moment and I won't let anyone take it away from me', he growled the last part.

'Sorry to disappoint you but this ain't going to happen. I might not give a damn about him and could care less if he's alive or dead but right now he is our responsibility. We brought him back and the pack is certain that we'll need him for what's about to come. So I can't let you do that.'

'You thing YOU could stop me'? Douglas started to laugh. 'Little girl, you stand no chance against me. But by all means go ahead and try'.

Now it was Malia's time to laugh. 'Do YOU really believe I came alone'? She grinned at him.

Scott and the others took that as their cue to step out of the shadows. 

'He might have called for just Malia but if you call for one wolf, you invite the pack', Scott said his eyes flashing red. 

'Oh come on Scott. He's not even part of your pack. Remember all the things he did to you and the others. If things were the other way around, do you really believe HE would do shit to save YOU?'

'He does have a point', Liam quipped but Scott's annoyed look prevented him from saying anything else.

'Right now, it doesn't matter that he is not part of the pack or what he did to us. If we just stand by and watch him getting killed, it makes us no better than him. Everyone deserves a second chance'. 

'I do believe in second chances. I just don't think everyone deserves them'. Liam said to Hayden in a low voice. 'Especially not him'. 

'Well that's not your decision to make', she told him shrugging her shoulders. 'If Scott's says we save him then we'll do just that'. 

Liam rolled his eyes but he did shut up. 

'So here's the catch. Either you fight all of us or you fucking leave', Malia growled out.


	4. Worth saving?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> so here is the new extra long chapter which I dedicate to ''Someone'' my first comment. Thank you so much you really made my day.  
> Also thanks for all the Kudos. I will try to make some longer chapters from now on.
> 
> Have fun :*

'Fine have it your way', Mr. Douglas said surprising all of them and then he just left.

'Okaaay. That was not weird at all', Liam said. 'Why the hell would he just leave without trying to fight us'.

'I don't know', Scott answered. 'But we can overthink that later. I believe we have someone to take care of'.

Everyone looked towards Theo lying in a bloody mess on the floor. Scott was the first to approach him. He laid a hand on his shoulder which made him flinch. His entire body was still shaking in fear and he couldn't believe that this was actually happening. 

'It's okay', Scott tried to calm him down. 'You are save now. We'll take care of you'.

'I-is t-this a d-dream', Theo asked afraid to hear the answer and maybe finding out that this was just his brain trying to mess with him. What if he was already dead and he had been sent to another hell that was going to torture him again. He was terrified to open his eyes. What if he opened them and no one was there?

'You know the least you could do is thank us for saving a worthless piece of sh-...'

'Enough Malia', Scott interrupted her. 'He'll get his chance to prove us he was worth being saved'. 

'Somehow I doubt that', Liam told Hayden earning another angry look from Scott.

'Alright help me get him up', Scott demanded and no one made a move until he let out an annoyed growl. 'Sometime today if you don't mind'.

Malia came over and helped him getting Theo to a sitting position. They had to hold onto him for he had no strength to keep himself up on his own. 

'Ugh. As if it wasn't enough that he's being a piece of shit, now he also has to reek of it'.

Liam couldn't help but to burst out in laughter and Hayden had trouble trying not to crack a smile. 

'Malia, could you please stop insulting him for a moment. I think he suffered enough for now. And besides almost dying ain't pretty. He must have been through a lot. I can practically smell his fear and feel his pain. It's excruciating'.

'Sorry Scott', Malia said feeling the tiniest bit ashamed. 'Guess we'll have plenty of time for that later', she added with a smirk.

Theo took that moment to finally open his eyes and when he saw Malia and Scott holding him up and Hayden and Liam gathered around him and everyone but Malia having compassionate looks on their faces, he couldn't help but to burst into tears. 

'Hush, everything is fine. We'll take you to my house and my mum will help us to take care of you. Don't worry in few days you'll be as good as new'.

Malia could barely keep from laughing when she saw how Scott tried his hardest to comfort Theo and by looking at Liam and Hayden she saw that they had trouble with it themselves.

'Am I alive? Am I really alive? Theo looked at them with wide eyes and a fearful look on his face. 

'Unfortunately Yes. Sorry Scott, I know you want me to be nice and all but …'

'It's okay', Theo interrupted her. 'You don't have to pretend anything. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you all to save me if everything you wanted was to finally get rid of me. I really appreciate it and I know I don't deserve this', he added the last part in a very broken and sad voice. 

'No you really don't', Malia agreed. 'So you better take that chance and make something out of it'.

'I will, I promise'.

'A promise means nothing if it's not kept', Malia told him and with a nod towards Scott, they pulled him to a standing position. 

'Let's get him to my place. I believe I can hear Stiles arriving'.

And indeed seconds later the rusty old jeep came to a halt in front of the station. Malia and Scott grabbed Theo's arms and supported him until they arrived at the jeep. Stiles jumped out and pointed a finger at Scott. 

'Oh no. No way I'm going to take him with me like that. I mean did you look at him? He's full of blood and puke and he REEKS', he said holding his nose.

'Come on Stiles. We have to get him fixed up as soon as we can', Scott pleaded. 

'Uh-uh. Forget it. I'll never get the stench out of my car'.

Now Lydia got off the car as well. 'For heavens sake, Theo take of your damn cloths and let's get going'.

Scott helped him to undress until he was left in nothing but his briefs. There were a few shocked gasps when they saw the amount of damage that had been done to Theo's body. Even Malia shot him a pitiful look. Stiles took an old blanket out of his trunk and they wrapped it around Theo. 

'Okay let's go. Liam, Hayden meet me at my house. We don't all fit in the jeep and given his broken body we shouldn't try to squeeze in'.

'Yeah, no problem. Let's see who's faster', Liam grinned before him and Hayden took off running. 

Theo was positioned between Malia and Scott and now that he felt safe again, he couldn't fight the exhaustion any longer. His head fell to the side and landed directly on Malia's shoulder. She looked down at him a disgusted look on her face but made no move to push him away. Scott grinned at her.

'I swear if he drools, I'm going to rip his head off', Malia had meant for it to come out harsh but she actually spoke in a soft voice so she wouldn't wake him up. 

Lydia turned around smiling sweetly at the sight before her. 'I have to admit you two would make a really cute couple'. 

Malia rolled her eyes at her. 'Okay I take it back, I'm going to rip her head off'.

The bickering continued for a while until they arrived at Scott's house. As the car came to an abrupt halt, Theo's eyes suddenly flew open. When he noticed that his head was lying on Malia's shoulder , he quickly pulled it away murmuring a shy 'sorry'. He expected her to say something mean in return but she just told him that it was okay. Scott managed to drag him out of the car and carried him over to the house. When Malia got off the car, she noticed something wet on her chest and upon closer inspection she realized Theo had indeed drooled on her.

'Oh you've got to be kidding me', she screamed annoyed before she took her jacket off and followed the others into the house. 

Just before Scott was going to ring the door, Liam opened it grinning at him. 'We were faster'. From the living room Hayden called out 'Of course we were. He made us running like the ghost riders were behind us'. Scott smirked at him and Liam stepped to the side so he could get through. He had trouble keeping Theo upright as he was getting weaker and weaker by the second. Just when they had set foot into the house, Melissa stepped out of the kitchen.

'No. Seriously no Scott. Not him. He tried to kill you'. And with a mad look she added 'Actually he did succeed in killing you. I held you in my arms. You were dead honey. He killed my only son. He didn't know that I'd be able to bring you back. He wanted you dead. When you called and said you needed help, I was ready to do anything for the poor kid that had been badly injured but I won't get my hands dirty for HIM.'

'Mom please. He's not able to heal. You need to fix him. Pl-...'

'Uh uh. I want him out of my house. I want him gone now before I forget myself and do something I might regret later'.

While they kept arguing back and forth, Malia had stepped into the house as well getting comfortable on the couch next to Hayden and Liam.

'So how's it going'?

'Scott's still trying to make his mom save Theo's life', Liam told her. 'If I were her, I wouldn't do shit for him as well'.

'Can you just stop it already'? Hayden angrily stood up from the couch. 'We all know by now how much you hate him. There is no need for a constant reminder'. With that she left to join the others in the kitchen, leaving Malia and Liam back confused.

'Why the hell is she making such a fuss?'

'She seems to believe that she still owes him for bringing her back from the dead. Don't ask me why. I don't get it myself. It's not like that idiot brought her back because he was SO sad she died. He just needed members for his back that's all. You were right. We should have never brought him back in the first place.' 

Malia laid a hand on his shoulder. 'It's okay, stop blaming yourself'. 

While Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Mason and now also Hayden were still trying to convince Melissa to help Theo, who had been left in the hallway, suddenly collapsed to his knees, holding his chest and vomiting blood.

'Uh guys', Malia called out. 'You might want to speed up coming to a decision cause it looks like he doesn't have much time left'.


	5. The End? Or a new beginning ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day my dears,
> 
> to celebrate the day I got a new chapter for you.
> 
> Have fun :*

The door to the kitchen was teared open and Scott was the first to come out running over to where Theo was lying on the floor. He felt for his pulse which was already starting to fade and just when he was about to call for his mom, she appeared right beside him.

The moment Melissa stepped out of the door and saw Theo fighting for dear life, it wasn't important anymore what he had done in the past. Right now everything that mattered to her was that there was a kid lying on her floor struggling to survive. Yeah she absolutely resented him BUT she did have a codex. Within one second she changed into hospital mode.

'Scott put him onto the dining room table, Hayden in the kitchen there is a doctor's kit bring it to me, Lydia and Mason I need your help assisting me, Malia and Scott you will hold him down. I suppose he has internal bleeding which means that I'll be slicing him open'.

'What about me'?, Stiles asked. 'What am I supposed to do'?

Melissa looked at him briefly. 'You my dear will stay right over there with Liam and try not to get in the way'.

Stiles rolled his eyes but followed her orders and sat down next to Liam who laughed at him.

'Oh shut it. In case you haven't noticed you're not welcome there right now either'.

'As if I would want to be there right now', Liam made a disgusted face. 'They can do whatever the hell they want but I won't lift a damn finger for him'.

'Me neither', Stiles agreed. 'But I guess a part of me would have been really satisfied by watching him suffer'. Liam nodded his approval.

Melissa put an old blanket onto the table and instructed Scott to carefully lay Theo down. Hayden brought the kit and a cushion so his head would lay comfortably. Malia and Scott positioned themselves on each side of Theo and gently held him down so he was unable to move and Melissa could take care of him. She put on gloves and collected the instruments she would need to slice him open and patch him back together afterwards. Lydia and Mason were each given various instruments to hand her when she directed them to do so. Then she started to cut him open. Theo let out a pained howl and fought against Malia and Scott who had trouble keeping him steady.

'Liam move your ass right here we need your help', Melissa's voice left no room for argumentation. 

Stile grinned sardonically at him 'Well looks like you have to lift more than just a finger for him now'. 

Liam had no time to retort as Melissa called for him again and her tone definitely made him want to hurry. 

'Come here', Melissa directed him. 'Help Scott and Malia to keep him down. You need to keep him still so I can take care of his injuries'.

The three of them managed to hold Theo in place and Melissa could finally slice him open. 

Stiles who was the only one left in the living room quickly got bored and decided to join the others. Upon entering the room and seeing Theo with a gaping hole in his chest, he turned on his heel and made it to the toilet just in time to empty his stomach. He didn't join them again and sat back on the couch listening to Theo's screams of pain and Liam telling him to not be such a pussy and to shut the fuck up.

'Liam leave him alone. I bet if you were lying here and had been cut open you wouldn't even be able to scream out in pain anymore because you had probably already fainted when you saw the huge amount of blood leaving your body'. 

'Fuck off Mason. Why are you suddenly taking his side? You're my best friend. You should be on my side'.

'Seriously kid? This is not the time for taking sides. We have a boy lying in front of us about to die a-...' 'an evil boy', Liam tossed in. 'A BOY nonetheless', Lydia said annoyed. 'Some of you maybe forgetting it because of all the horrible things he did but in the end he is still just a kid and much too young to die'. 

'What does your feeling tell you Lydia', Scott asked her to diffuse the fight that was likely to take place between Lydia and Liam.

'Honestly, I don't believe he is going to make it. I mean he's not even a real were coyote and he doesn't seem to be able to heal himself. You know I always get this special feeling when someone is about to die and I already start to feel like it around him. It's not that strong for now but it keeps increasing by the minute'. 

Scott nodded looking troubled. Sure this was Theo, the guy who stabbed everyone in the back and tried to kill him but Lydia was right he still was just a kid. And who was he to decide whether he deserved to live or die?

'He IS going to make it. That kid is NOT dying on my hands', Melissa told them with a firm voice.

Scott once again admired his mom for being able to keep calm and optimistic in a life and death situation. A short time later, she had finally managed to stop the bleeding and sew Theo shut again. He looked deathly pale and was too weak to even lift his head. Then he suddenly coughed violently and his whole body shuddered before it stopped and he struggled for breath. This continued for a while until he seemed to calm down and just laid there motionless. No one was uttering a word. Even Liam seemed to have lost his tongue. They all have come to the conclusion that he wouldn't make it. And although he was the enemy, it saddened them to see Theo pass away right in front of them after they tried everything to save him. Theo looked at the worried faces surrounding him and smiled through gritted teeth.

'It's okay you know. I guess karma comes back around and now I'm the one that's hurting'.

He grimaced when a new wave of pain hit him and Malia growled before she took his hand and seconds later you could see the black veins as she took away part of his pain. Without questioning it Scott and Liam followed her suit and a few minutes later Theo was able to breath regularly again. Hayden looked at Lydia when she suddenly gasped which was followed by a loud bang at the front door before it was forced open. 

'His time has come', Lydia told them sadly and then Parrish entered the room all ablaze and walking towards Theo. 

Scott and Liam stepped back but Malia stayed on his side.

'I'm fine', Theo said. 'It doesn't hurt anymore'. A single tear rolled over his face. 'I'm I'm so sorry f-for everything I h-have d-d-done t-to … ' he started coughing again.

Hayden stepped next to him as well and took his other hand. 'Shush, everything is fine. You're forgiven Theo', she said smiling gently at him and when Theo looked around he saw Liam, Scott, Melissa, Mason, Lydia and Stiles, who had decided it was safe to join them again, all give approving nods. 

'It's time', Parrish said in his booming voice and stepped next to Theo ready to pick him up. Hayden went back over to Liam and he hugged her tightly while she cried. 

Malia looked up at Parrish with a tear strained face and in a broken whisper she asked 'C-can I have one minute alone with him please. Just one minute'. 

Parrish nodded and everyone left the room.

'Don't cry', Theo told her gently. 'I don't deserve your tears'. 

'I hate you. I fucking hate you Raeken', Malia's whispered in a shaky voice. 'How dare you leave us now? How dare you leave ME now that I was willing to give you another chance'?

She burst into tears and seeing Malia so openly broken gave Theo enough strength to get himself up into a sitting position. He pulled her into a hug and she cried against his chest. How could he have been so blind this entire time? How could he believe that the most important thing was to be powerful? All he really would have needed was for Malia to be by his side. Nothing had ever felt more perfect than holding her this close against him. Theo wished this moment would last forever. 

' A minute is over', Parrish informed everyone standing outside the room and just before he could enter, Lydia held him back 'I'm sure death can wait a few more minutes'.

Parrish didn't look too pleased but he made no move to enter the room again.

Malia eventually lifted her head and when she saw that she had left a big wet spot on Theo she smiled shakily and said 'Sorry I got you all wet. I guess it's only fair after you drooled on me in the car'. 

They both looked at each other and Theo smiled his own very special disarming smile at her. The one he seemed to have reserved only for Malia to see. Then he shuddered again and Malia held him tightly against her. 

'It's alright Theo. You are forgiven. You can rest in piece. You are free at last'. 

She kissed him on the head and then his breathing stopped. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes forever was Parrish entering the room and Malia nodding at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next on Teen Wolf :D
> 
> Is Theo really gone?
> 
> Just remember that it's Beacon Hills, so a lot of strange things might happen. People may wake up from the dead ...


	6. Sweet dreams or a beautiful nightmare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> here is the new chapter for you. Guess this will clarify a few things.  
> Have fun reading it and don't shy at commenting ;)
> 
> :*

Theo woke with a start. What the hell had just happened? Where was he? Was he dead? Is this the hell he had been sent to? He looked down on himself and scanned for any injuries. However, there were none, apart from the throbbing in his head. He squinted his eyes and looked around. Then his eyes widened. Was he going crazy? This place looked exactly like the sheriff's station and the cell he had been locked into. What hell would look like a sheriff's station? At least he didn't woke up in a morgue again. Anything was better than that. Then he noticed that someone was standing behind him and before he could turn around, he already heard her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

'Oh look who finally awakened from a deep slumber. Welcome back sunshine we terribly missed you'. 

Was that really her? No, it couldn't be true. Theo fully turned around and looked right into Malia's piercing eyes. Wait, Malia was here? How was this even possible? Hadn't Parrish just picked him up and brought him to this weird Nemeton like he had done with all the other supernatural bodies? Theo put his head in his hands. This was all so confusing, nothing seemed to make sense. 

'Oh by the way, if you're wondering where the headache is coming from, I might have banged your head into the wall. Scott told me to wake you up from whatever nightmare you were apparently in. Sorry I'm not the gentle type of girl', she flashed him a huge fake grin.

Nightmare? Has all of this been nothing but a bad dream? He didn't actually die? 

'Is this real'? Theo asked confused. 'Am I really alive and at the station'?

'Oh come on I haven't hit you that hard', Malia responded. 'Although I wish I had', she added quietly.

'You obviously still hate me', Theo commented dryly but if Malia had listened closely she would have probably been able to hear the sadness in his voice. 

How can it be that he didn't realize he was just dreaming sooner? How could he believe that Malia, Scott and the rest of the pack would ever forgive him.

'Of course I still hate you dumb ass. And I don't think I will ever stop.'

Theo just nodded and for a second he looked broken and vulnerable before he put up his mask of indifference again. Then he remembered something.

'Where is Mr. Douglas'? Theo looked around fearfully, expecting him to jump out of the shadows all of a sudden. 

'Mr. Douglas? Who the hell is Mr. Douglas'?

Liam took that moment to stick his head trough the door.

'Why the hell would you want to know were our teacher is? How do you even know him in the first place'?

So it appeared they didn't know who he really was yet. Well, well! If that didn't provide a lot of room for negotiation for him.

Theo smiled maliciously at them. 'Break the damn sword and I tell you everything you need to know'.

'I will break the damn sword. I'll break it right into your …'

'Malia calm down. Let me talk to him'.

'Fine Scott have it your way. I can't bear to be near him anyway. I might just accidentally kill him'.

With that Malia stomped off and Scott told Liam to leave them alone to which he obeyed grumpily.

'Alright, now it's just the two of us. Tell me what you know'.

'I can't see the sword'.

'How do I know that you're not just fooling us? Wouldn't be the first time'.

'And how do I know that you'll break the sword once I told you all that I know'?

Scott teared his hair. 'I guess we reached an impasse here. You know, no one here trusts you and half of my pack would like nothing more but to send you back to hell and I totally agree with them. Maybe it is about time that you show us why exactly we should keep you around'.

It was then that Theo recalled his dream. How he had wished that he could apologize to Scott and the pack for all the evil things he had done to them. All the pain and sorrow he had caused them. And now that he had the chance to actually do something nice for once, he was being the same little shit as before. He remembered how they had been ready to fight for him – even Malia who hated his guts stood up for him. And Scott's mom who had every right to let him die showed mercy and saved his life. And in the end, when it had been certain that he wouldn't make it, they had all forgiven him. He had never felt more at peace then during this moment. Even though it was only a dream, it had felt so real to him and just now in this very moment where Scott was convincing him to help them did he understood why it felt so real. This was just the way they are. They helped people and it made no difference to them whether they deserved it or not. They would always do what was right. They weren't just a pack – they were family. Everyone would die for his pack mate. Theo realized how much he wanted to be a part of this. To have friends, a pack, a family. To finally not be on his own anymore. But he had so much amends to make and although he wasn't sure whether they would ever let him be a part of the pack or even accept him, he would start redeeming himself now. 

'Fine, I tell you everything I know about him and then you can decide whether it's enough to allow me to stay', Theo told him resigning to his fate.

Scott was caught off guard. He hadn't expected for Theo to agree to actually help them. What if he was scheming again? To hell with that. If Theo was ready to cooperate he should take the offer. 

'Spill it out'! Scott said getting comfortable on a chair.

'Remember when I told you guys about the Nazi soldier the dread doctor's used to prolong their life's...'

After Theo had finished his story Scott was completely bewildered for a few minutes.

'Holy crap! So the teacher who offered Liam and Hayden his help is actually THE Nazi Soldier from the Second World War that the doctors kept in their tube'.

'But that's not all', Theo continued. 'He isn't just some soldier the dread doctors used to prolong their lives, he is also an Alpha Löwenmensch'.

'What the hell is an Alpha Löwenmensch'?

Befor Theo could answer his question, Stiles started to speak. 'It's a kind of a werewolf/lion hybrid species and functions pretty much like a pure werewolf in that there is presumably packs and ranks. It also has enhanced speed and agility'.

'Why do you know all of that'? Scott looked at him completely bewildered.

'Please, I have a Master in Supernatural', Stiles made a dismissive hand gesture.

Theo snorted and Stiles glared at him. 'Don't tell me you are actually going to break the sword, Scott. It's the only thing keeping him at bay. And as you see I know a lot about that stuff too. We don't need him'.

'Oh yeah, is that right? Then I guess you know everything about how to stop him'?

Stiles tried to come up with a speedy answer but he struggled for words which in turn made Theo smirk confidently. 'See, you guys do need me'.

'Very well then. Liam get me the damn sword', Scott exclaimed. 

When he didn't get an answer, he called for him again and after a short while Liam hesitantly entered the cell and handed him the sword.

'I really hope you know what you're doing Scott. I know it was a stupid idea to bring him back but what you're about to do is beyond mad', Liam didn't even try to hide his displeasure and Stile for once agreed with him.

'Sorry Liam, Stiles but I can't base my decisions on those that won't have to deal with the results. If everything goes wrong and Theo betrays us again, it will all fall back on me. I will have to take all the blame. But if we can't figure out a way to save everyone, it will be my fault too. So if there is the tiniest chance that he can help us figure out all of this mess, I will gladly take it'.

'If you dare to betray us again, I will smash your brains in with my bat', Stiles said deathly serious and Liam nodded approvingly. 

'IF he dares to fuck us over, I will rip his throat out', Malia smiled sweetly at Theo and although she just issued a death threat towards him, he couldn't help the fuzzy feeling he got when she looked at him like that.

'Okay guys, enough with the death threats', Scott said with finality in his voice. 

Then he broke the sword and Theo breathed a sigh of relief. In the meantime, Lydia, Mason and Hayden had arrived as well and Scott filled them in on everything after he ended there was an oppressive silence. Lydia was the first to break it.

'Okay, so now we don't only have to fight the ghost riders but also also a super weird specimen known as Löwenmensch of whom no one here knows how powerful he really is. Sounds like a lot of fun', she said forcing a smile.

'Hey don't forget we have Theo on our side now', Stiles said cheerfully. 'I mean come on, if we let the devil himself out of hell and he agrees to help us, how could we not defeat them'?

Everyone looked at him and Lydia rolled her eyes irritated but if you looked closely you might be able to see the hint of a smile on her face. 

'All jesting aside, we need one heckuva plan', Mason remarked and all of them agreed. 

'I know someone who might be prepared to help us. He's not exactly reliable but I trust him more than this one here', Malia pointed at Theo. 

'Oh great', Stiles exclaimed. 'It's not enough that we have the devil on our side, let's also add a total psycho to the list'.

'I'm not a TOTAL psycho', a deep voice sounded right behind them.

'YOU', Lydia said displeased.

'Me', he shrugged and grinned at her.


	7. Hindsight is easier than foresight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> this is the longest chapter I have posted so far. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> The next one may take a bit longer as I'm going on vacation so be patient ;)
> 
> Hugs and kisses to my lovely readers :*

'PETER? PETER FUCKING HALE? You called HIM'?

'Calm down Stiles he promised to help us'.

'Uh-uh sweetheart I didn't PROMISE it. I said I would analyze the situation and see if I might be able to help you with whatever predicament you have once again gotten yourselves in'.

'We don't need him', Scott told Malia. 'I don't trust him. Last time he promised to help us, he tried to KILL me'.

'My bad'! Peter smirked at him. 

'Shut up Peter', Malia said angry. 'You told me you'd behave'. He just shrugged and Malia rolled her eyes at him. 'Listen Scott I know you don't trust him, neither do I by the way', this time Peter rolled his eyes', 'but he just seems to know everything about anything. I really believe he might be useful for once and he promised faithfully' 'I didn't promise it 'FAITHFULLY' 'will you just shut up for heavens sake. He promised not to hurt you or anyone else from the pack. If he doesn't stick to it, we'll just take him down', Malia deadpanned. 

'I don't know about this', Scott said unsure. 

'You gave HIM a chance', Malia pointed at Theo.

'Ah you're an outcast to I see, welcome to the club kid'.

'Don't talk to him Peter! He's the guy that betrayed me to the desert wolf'.

As soon as Malia had said that she immediately regretted it when she saw how it only took a second for Peter to change from his cool demeanor into a madmen. Although she had to admit that she liked the fact that he was so upset about it.

'YOU TRIED TO KILL MY DAUGHTER'? Peter growled out angry and made a threatening step towards Theo who instinctively stepped closer to Scott.

'I-I didn't mean to do it. I-I …', Theo started stuttering.

'Leave him alone Peter. Now is not the time for revenge. And IF anyone is going to exact vengeance on him it'll be ME'.

'That's my daughter', he said smiling approvingly at her and with a warning look he told Theo 'Come at her again and I will show you just how much of a psycho I can be'.

Theo nodded sheepishly. Great seems like yet another person who wants him dead has been added to the list and from what the others said about him, he definitely didn't want him as an enemy. Now he knew where Malia had gotten her temper from though. He was surprised when Scott stepped in front of him.

'If he hurts Malia, you can do whatever the hell you want with him but for now we need him. As for you getting involved in all of this, I will tolerate you because I trust Malia and she appears to trust you. Just one more thing STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY MUM', he gave Peter a firm look.

'That'll might prove difficult. You know I'm attracted to her like a moth to a flame'.  
Peter was being a pain in the neck as always and all he wanted was to get a rise out of Scott and judging by the angry look on his face it was working.

'He won't come near her', Malia assured him and her eyes pleaded for Peter to leave the topic alone which he fortunately did.

'Okay now that we have sorted everything out, can we finally come up with a plan'?

'Mason's right', Lydia said. 'So any suggestions'?

'I'm still for catching a ghost rider', Liam was the first to answer.

Peter laughed out loud. 'You want to catch one of them? Good luck kid! That's the most stupid thing I have ever heard'.

'Do you have a better idea?, Liam retorted irritated. 

'Any idea is better than this', Peter sneered. 'But yes, I do indeed have a better idea. Listen, those riders have to come out from somewhere and I guess it's some sort of portal or something of the kind. So to find out where they are coming from, we have to find their magical portal'.

'Alright, nothing's easier than that. Let's just wait until they show up again and then we take one of them aside and ask him where he lives. I'm sure he'll be totally eager to tell us', Stiles mocked Peter.

However, he wasn't deterred by it in the slightest. In a patient voice he replied 'No dumbass, we're not going to ask them. A portal that allows them to enter and leave our world as often as they please must have a special force signature and it must be very powerful which in turn means that they need a place to hide it. So I'd say we search the underground, abandoned buildings and so on'.

'I hate to say it but Peter is right', Lydia agreed. 

'Okay then let's split up into teams', Scott said clapping his hands.

'Liam, Hayden and Mason you go as a team. Stiles and Lydia you will come with me. I'm afraid you have to go with Peter and Theo', Scott looked at apologetically at Malia.

'Don't worry I'll be fine', she quickly assured him although it was the last thing she needed to deal with. 

A short time later Malia found herself in the forest looking for any traces of a magical portal. After they had been walking through the forest for what seemed like hours without finding anything at all she vented her anger.

'This is stupid. We have been walking around forever and there is not even a shadow of that damn portal. I should be with the others, I bet they have already found something. Instead I'm stuck here with the too of you', as she kept complaining, she failed to notice the leghold trap that was partly hidden on the forest floor. 

'Malia, watch out'! Theo screamed. 

'For what? A magical portal emerging right in front of me'? She completely ignored him and kept going. Then she was suddenly thrown to the side, landing in a pile of leaves and covered in dirt from head to toe. Within seconds she was back on her feed.

'What the hell is wrong with you', she yelled at Theo. 

'I-I there was a' … Malia gave him no chance to finish his sentence as she slapped him hard across the face. 

'You don't get to touch me you filthy little bastard', Theo looked really taken aback by her outburst but Malia couldn't care less about his feelings. 'You better not get close to me again', she threatened him and with a snarl she pushed him out of her way. 

Theo stumbled backwards and his left foot landed right into the trap. He let out a pained howl and collapsed to the ground. Malia just stood there, the shock evident on her face. Peter, who had walked ahead of them for a while now, quickly turned and ran back to the direction from where the noise had come from. His one thought was with Malia and whether his daughter was unscathed. If that boy harmed her in any way he could guarantee for nothing. When he arrived at the scene, he was relieved to see that Malia was safe and sound. The same thing couldn't be said about that Theo kid. He was lying on the floor within a pool of his own blood and appeared to be in severe pain.

'What happened'? Peter asked Malia who was still under shock. 

'I-I didn't know that … I thought he was … I mean it's Theo and … I really shouldn't have …'

Peter placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and told her to calm down. Then he knelt down next to Theo and examined his wound. The trap was firmly clasped around his ankle and blood kept oozing out. 

'I am going to remove the trap kid, this is going to hurt like hell but as soon as it is gone you'll be able to heal'.

Peter started to free his ankle and Theo squirmed on the ground in pain. It was obvious that he was on the verge of tears. 

'Malia darling I know the two of you are not exactly friends but would you mind keeping him still so I can get his damn foot outta here'?

She hesitated for a moment but when Theo doubled over in pain again, she knelt down next to him and firmly held him down so he was unable to move. He instantly calmed down and Malia frowned before she felt a tingling followed by a slight burning sensation. Only when she looked down at Theo did she realize that she had unintentionally taken away his pain. 

'You didn't have to do that', Theo told her his eyes full of gratitude. 

'I didn't mean to', Malia snapped at him. Hell would freeze before she'd let him know that she was actually seized with remorse because he meant to protect her and she thanked him by pushing him right into a leghold trap. 

Theo looked bashfully to the ground. What did he expect? For Malia to tell him that he was welcome? She would never see him as anything but evil and it served him right. 

When Malia saw the hurtful look on Theo's face, she couldn't stop the words escaping her mouth.  
'What I actually wanted to say was that I didn't mean to push you into the trap. I would never do something like that purposefully. Not even to someone like you.'

That made him look up again. He seemed completely surprised and at a loss for words. His eyes were wide open and in that moment where Malia didn't concentrate on hating him did she realize just how beautiful his eyes actually were. Normally they shone in a bright blue but right now where there was little light, they had more of a grayish shimmer. She was so fascinated by his eyes that she didn't notice how long she had already been staring at him. 

Now that Theo was distracted, Peter seized the moment to break his foot free from the leghold. Just then the spell between Theo and Malia was broken as he let out an earsplitting howl. 

'See, that wasn't so bad', Peter shrugged it off and Theo glared at him. 

'It's not healing', Malia observed. 'Shouldn't it stop bleeding'?

Peter scratched his head thoughtfully. 'Maybe it just takes a little longer. That wound is pretty nasty.'

For a few minutes no one uttered a word. They all sat there watching Theo's wound which did not heal itself at all. 

'Okay us watching it doesn't seem to do the trick', Peter stood up. 'I'd say we get him to the Doc. I don't know if a were coyote can die from blood loss but if we don't act soon, we are going to find out'.

Malia got up to and when Theo tried to follow her suit and put weight on his leg, he twisted his ankle and was about to fall back to the ground, when two strong arms suddenly scooped him up.

'I gotcha kid. Try to shift your weight on the left side so your right foot is released. Malia would you mind helping me out here? We need to support him'.

'Nah, I got this', Theo told them. When Peter didn't immediately let go of him, he wriggled out of his hold. 'Seriously, I got this'.

'Fine, have it your way', Peter said clearly disapproving and stormed off. 

Malia glanced at him and then followed after her father. Theo gritted his teeth and limped after them. The pain was almost unbearable but he wouldn't show any more weakness to them. He could make it. He suffered torments way worse than this. 

The very idea of what the doctors had done to him made him shudder. He had been trying to repress those memories for a while now and most of the time it worked out well for him but sometimes it only took the slightest sound or a mere threat to awaken his memories. That's why Theo often overreacted when someone was trying to cow him. For the doctors, one of their favorite means to end had been to intimidate him and it would be understated to say that they had been very skilled at it. Everyone believed that Theo had done all of those things because he was just evil but no one new about the pain he had suffered. Granted, it didn't really matter to him when he tried to kill Scott or destroyed the friendship of him and Stiles. Even leaving Malia for dead and killing two members of his pack had only caused him slight discomfort. However, he wasn't the only one to blame for this. His time under the doctors care had made him cold and emotionless. Little by little, they tore away his former cheerful nature and replaced it by a mentally ill person. At first he really tried to fight back but it didn't take long for him to realize he was better off accepting his fate. And after some time he just stopped caring altogether. It was only due to Scott and his pack that he remembered what friendship, family and being responsible for one another meant. First he had been inwardly laughing about them and their stupidity. He couldn't believe how they could be ready to die for one another and what with all those weird pack feels. It had really disgusted him. Then he 'helped saving' Liam and Hayden and suddenly he was a kind of hero and they even hugged him. No one had shown him any affection for a long time, the only times he had been touched was for medical purposes or the doctors punishing him for failing at something again. But they did it all the time. Hugging each other, patting their shoulders encouragingly, comfort one another. All of this had become foreign to him. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to see back then that everything he needed was to be part of their group. Instead he fought them and almost ripped them apart. They had been lucky to have Scott because he showed why he deserved being a true alpha, when he brought his pack back together and then they had been invincible. In the end his aspiration for power had not only lost him the possibility to be part of a pack but also nearly his life. 

Theo looked down on himself. He could still feel the blood oozing out and after a while he felt the first signs of his blood loss. His head started to spin and he became even more unsteady on his feet. He thought about calling for Malia and asking for her help but quickly dismissed the thought. No, he could do this on his own.

A short distance away from him, Malia turned to Peter. 'Are you sure that we shouldn't wait for him? I mean I don't care about him but Scott wouldn't be too pleased if he dies at our hands'.

Peter grinned stupidly at her. 'Aw, are you worried about your beloved'?

Malia hit at him put Peter quickly dodged her. 'He is NOT my beloved, idiot'. 

She didn't deny the part of being worried about Theo because deep inside she may have felt the slightest bit of worry for him but to save herself further embarrassments, she didn't bring it up again. After walking for a while longer, however, she couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. Ignoring Peter and his snarky comments, Malia started to walk back.

Theo had meanwhile come to the painful realization that he would need help form the others. Just when he was going to call out for Malia, he collapsed to the ground and except for a rasping sound was unable to get anything out. Shit, why did he have to be so stubborn? Now he was going to lay here, slowly bleeding out and no one would care. Theo tried to get up once more but this time he completely blacked out.

The last thing Theo heard was a voice calling him a stubborn git. 

Malia had arrived just in time to see Theo try to get up and failing miserably at it. Without second thought she had run to his side and caught him before his head could hit the ground. She carefully laid him down and knowing that he couldn't catch her staring again, she risked one more look at him. He looked so peacefully as he laid in her arms. His usual arrogance and defensive attitude was gone and he seemed so much younger and much more vulnerable. She couldn't help but to gently stroke his forehead, brushing some hair out of his face. And suddenly the scales fell from her eyes, this guy hadn't been born evil. If he was truly evil, he wouldn't have tried to save her before. He would have let her walk straight into the trap and then have a good laugh at her. He also wouldn't have told them all that he knew about Mr. Douglas and the Ghost riders even though he wasn't sure Scott would actually break the sword. And he also wouldn't have brought Hayden back from the dead. He could have picked any Chimera that he wanted, so why did he pick her? Maybe they had all been wrong about him. What if he wasn't the evil one here but only a victim? And if she was right about him, what made him turn so evil in the first place?

She was hell bent on finding it out.


	8. Being a dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> I finally had time to add a new chapter. I'm sorry that there is going to be no Theo/Malia interaction in this one. This chapter is still very important to me because it brings Malia and Peter closer together. I just love the idea of Peter trying to be a good dad.  
> If there is anything you want me to write about, like more pack scenes or stuff like that just tell me and I see what I can do about it. 
> 
> Have fun :*

Malia carefully picked Theo up and just carried him on her own. She could lift a damn tree, an eighteen year old guy was no problem for her. She almost laughed about the absurdity of the whole situation. A few hours ago she still wanted him to just drop dead and here she was carrying him bridal style. Just as she thought that no one could ever know about this, she heard a snicker behind her. She didn't have to look up to see where it was coming from.

'Gosh. This is going way too quickly don't you think? I didn't even know you were married but here you are carrying him over the threshold'. 

'Can you please shut up for once'? Malia shot Peter the angriest look she could muster. 'If you're not here to help than get lost'.

Peter did his best to keep a straight face and thrust his arms out. 'Hand him over'. 

Malia placed him into his arms and they started walking towards Deaton's place. They had walked in comfortable silence for a while until Peter broke it, much to Malia's regret. 

'You are unusually quiet. Is everything okay'?

She just nodded at him.

Peter sighed. 'I know I can be a pain in the ass from time to time but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. You're my daughter and that means that I will always be there for you'.

He was glad that it was dark outside, otherwise she would have been able to see the blush on his face. He wasn't good at this. All this crap about sharing feelings was really not his thing. 

Malia, however, very much appreciated it. She did have a good relationship with her adoptive father but she always felt like something was missing. Since she found out about Peter being her real father, she hoped they might share a deep connection. As it turned out, he was a complete psychopath and she was deeply shaken by that realization. She accepted the fact that she was all the same to him and gave him the cold shoulder, so she wouldn't get involved with him and he wouldn't be able to hurt her feelings. But he surprised her again and again by protecting her and being selfless in his own really weird kind of way. Could she tell him how she actually felt for Theo or would he turn it into ridicule? She scrutinized him and was surprised to see concern written all over his face. It's worth a shot she thought before she unburdened herself to him.

'Fine, I tell you about it but you have to PROMISE me not to tell anyone'.

'Scout's honor'!, Peter said deathly serious and Malia rolled her eyes at him turning this into a joke already. 

'I am serious about this'.

'So am I my dear'. 

'Fine', she surrendered. 'Okay, where do I start? I don't won't you to think badly of me bu- …'

'Malia, I would never think badly of you', Peter gave her an encouraging smile.

'Fine. Okay, so back when Theo arrived her months ago, I couldn't stand him. What do I say? I hated him. He was so sickeningly self righteous and arrogant and uh I really despised him. Then Stiles and I started to drift apart. We didn't actually have a big fight or anything it just happened. First I felt kind of sad about it because don't get me wrong I really cared about him, it just wasn't enough I guess. I felt that something was missing like in a having butterflies in my tummy kind of way. He's still my anchor and a good friend but that's all he is – just a really good friend and often more like an annoying brother. Okay I'm running of the topic here. Don't ask me why I just discussed my relationship with Stiles with you. I can't believe I'm really telling you this at all'.

Peter just listened carefully while Malia started to babble. After a while she stopped and smiled nervously. 

'Sorry I guess I'm getting on your nerves already'.

'Sweetheart, stop apologizing yourself. Honestly, everything is okay. Maybe just try to get to the point'.

'Yeah okay. So what I meant to say was that after Stiles and I drifted apart, I kind of started to get interested in Theo. I don't know why, I mean he was pretty repelling but he does look good so, …' 

Peter let out a grunt but apart from that he made no sarcastic remark like he normally would so Malia continued. 

'I think he maybe knew that I liked him cause he lost no opportunity to remind me of his muscles of steel and perfect looks and it started to affect me. And then when he helped saving Liam and Hayden – or better when we thought that he helped saving them, I began to see him in a different light. Suddenly he wasn't the annoying prick anymore but the helper in time of need and it made him so much more attractive. He just gave me this weird feeling whenever he was near and although he got on my nerves most of the time, I felt like I could trust him and eventually I did. He even helped me improve my driving skills – which by the way totally suck and when I lost control once again and practically jumped out of the car and on the middle of the road, he saved me from getting run over by an approaching car. After that I couldn't still hate him even if I tried. He was just always there for me and I felt like we shared a deep understanding. And then, when I was going after the desert wolf, he offered his help again. Little did I know that he would leave me for dead just because of some damn claws to claim ultimate power.' 

Peter had the decency to look guilty at that. It's what he would have done as well. Not to Malia of course but to anyone else, … 

'I felt utterly cheated. It was even worse then my own 'mother' trying to kill me. I never cared about her at all and the same can obviously be said about her but I did trust Theo, although it's hard for me to trust others, and he just played me. I hated myself for letting my guard down. I should have known better than to trust a stranger but I guess the eyes of love really are bli- …'

Malia stopped dead in her tracks. Fucking hell, she didn't plan on telling Peter that she had loved Theo. She wanted to make it seem like they had been really close and then he betrayed her and although a part of her hated him, another part still cared about him and seeing him in such a bad state affected her more than she thought possible. Now Peter probably thought ill of her. She couldn't blame him. She had been a terrible fool and knowing Peter he was definitely going to rub it in. Malia didn't dare to look at him. However, he once again took her by surprise when he gently nudged her and no one could have prepared her for what he told her next.

'You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you'll live in torment if you don't trust enough. I'm no fucking poet so that's obviously not from me but I read it once and it seemed fitting. Don't blame yourself for trusting the wrong person, you have been brave enough to let your guard down in the first place. You couldn't know that he was using you. He made the biggest mistake of his life and soon enough he'll realize that. You're a beautiful, strong and independent woman and one day a man might be worthy of you'.

'Do you really mean that'? Malia gave him a doubtful look.

'Every single word. If I wasn't holding the cause for your heartbreak, I would have even hugged you', Peter grinned at her. 

What he didn't expect was for Malia to throw her arms around him and hug him tightly. He wasn't sure if he heard right but he thought that he might have heard her mumble 'thanks dad'. Blissful happiness crept into him and he knew in that moment that they would be alright. He may not ever make father of the year but he would always protect her no matter what. 

The rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence again and this time no one felt the need to break it. After a good twenty minutes, they had finally reached Deaton's. Malia had already contacted him along the way so he could prepare everything. Surprisingly, the rest of the pack was also present and waiting for them outside.

'Hey guys what are you doing here'? Malia looked around one. 

'Well we didn't find anything, so we went to see Deaton and ask him for one of his good advices. Along the way we came upon Liam, Hayden and Mason who had been unsuccessful as well. We were just in the middle of a discussion when you called. How the hell did this happen'?

'I know you're eager to know what happened but maybe you guys can discuss it after the kid has been taken care of', Peter said impatient. 

'Peter's right. Let's get him inside', Lydia said leading the way.

Deaton had already prepared a table and Peter carefully laid Theo down. He was still unconscious and looked deathly pale. With a few skilled hand grips, Deaton quickly stopped the bleeding and stitched his wound up. It looked still ugly but not as bad as before. 

'This is most odd', Deaton scratched his chin. 'I have heard of many things but a were coyote not being able to heal itself, I have never come across before'.

'There was a time when Scott wasn't able to heal properly', Stiles noted. 'But it had something to do with him being an alpha and his pack not being together. As soon as we had patched things up, all of a sudden his wounds healed. But Theo is neither an alpha nor is he a were wolf so I don't know how things a working when it comes to him'.

'I'm not so sure about him not being an alpha', Hayden retorted and everyone shot her questioning looks. 

'What do you mean'? Liam asked.

'Well he was definitely no true alpha like Scott and he also had no red glowing eyes or anything of the kind but he did have a pack. Before he killed the others', at this point her voice became bitter. 'I don't know how to explain it but he did seem to have some kind of power over us. I felt drawn to him and so did the others. And he was a lot stronger when we fought with him. Isn't that part of being an alpha? To have your own pack that makes you stronger?'

'It is', Scott agreed. 'And yeah he was pretty strong. He actually managed to kill me'.

'You were weakened by the wolfsbane. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to lay a finger on you', Liam immediately defended him.

'He's right', Stiles said patting his back.

Malia rolled her eyes. 'Can we please get back to the point'?

'What Hayden said makes a lot of sense', Deaton said looking her way. 'But Theo couldn't have been an alpha. He was neither born one, nor was he bitten or a true alpha and I haven't heard of another option. However, I hadn't heard about doctors being able to create supernatural beings before too, so we can't rule out the possibility'. 

'So if he really IS an alpha, what does that mean for him? I mean half of his pack is dead and the other half doesn't belong to him anymore. Actually, that makes him an omega. Is an alpha even able to be an alpha and omega at the same time'?

'Not that I know, Lydia. But even if he had been an alpha and is now being an omega, he should still be able to heal himself', Deaton concluded. 

While everyone was busy discussing the problem of Theo not being able to heal, Malia slipped off. Peter found her outside nervously pacing up and down. He walked over to her and when she noticed that it was him, she suddenly threw herself in his arms without warning. Peter stood completely stiff for a second before he relaxed and engulfed her in a big hug. He let her cry for a while and then guided her over to a bank where both of them sat down. 

'He's going to be okay, Sweetie', Peter told her in what he hoped was a soothing voice.

Malia shook her head. 'No, he isn't able to heal himself. How could he be okay? What if the wound gets infected and he dies?', she started crying again.

Peter put his arm around her shoulders. 'Humans are not able to heal themselves either. Remember all the bullshit Stiles has gotten himself in already? He's still alive and kicking. Although I don't know if that really is a good thing', he added quietly but Malia still heard him and nudged him slightly. Peter grinned at her. 'You wanna come back inside'?

'Yeah, just give me a second'. 

Malia wiped away the last traces of tears on her face and adjusted her makeup as good as possible. She was sure everyone would still be able to tell that she had been crying. As soon as she entered the room, Scott came over to her.

'Hey is everything okay'? With a searching look towards Peter he added 'Did he do anything'?

'No, no Peter didn't do anything', Malia smiled kindly at him. 'And I'm fine'.  
With that she sat on a chair in the corner of the room and ignored the worried looks. When Stiles was about to walk over to her, Peter held him back.

'If I were you, I'd better leave her alone right now'. 

Although Peter was the last one Stiles would normally listen to, he could tell that he was serious about it and so he walked back to the others. After a while though, Scott made his way over to Malia and this time Peter did nothing to stop him. He knew that Scott was a lot more sensitive than Stiles and it would do Malia good to talk to someone of her pack that probably wouldn't judge her.

'Can I talk to you for a second'?

Malia looked up at Scott and nodded, she was glad it was just him and not the entire pack. What she was about to tell him wasn't going to be easy for her. 

'Maybe we should go outside', Scott suggested upon seeing the curious looks of the others and a few pricked up ears.

They made their way outside and Scott sat down while Malia preferred to stand. He waited a few minutes but when Malia didn't start speaking, Scott broke the silence.

'Okay, tell me what happened back in the woods'.

Malia took a deep breath.

'Well we didn't come across anything at all and that really annoyed me, plus I was pissed at the fact that I had been left with Peter and Theo. So I started to complain about everything and stopped paying attention to my surroundings, then Theo called out to me and told me to watch out but I didn't listen and suddenly he was there next to me, throwing me right into the dirt. Before he had any chance to explain it I was already on him, hitting him and pushing at him. As it turned out there had been a leghold trap, which I didn't see as I was busy complaining about everything and Theo just wanted to protect me. I had managed to push him right into it'. Malia shuddered at the thought of it. 'It's like I can still hear his screams of pain as the trap closed around his ankle. Peter managed to free him eventually and carried him here. That's all', Malia said shrugging her shoulders and acting like she didn't give a damn.

'So it was just a mistake. You didn't mean to do it', Scott concluded and got up. 

Malia was glad that she was off the hook, when Scott suddenly turned to her and took her hand.

'Then why are you so upset about the whole thing'?

'Upset? Me? I am not upset about it. What makes you think that? I don't give a damn about Theo. I- …'

'Malia, hey calm down. It's alright. You don't have to justify yourself. It's just that I can smell your sadness, you know? And I'm not blind, I saw the traces of tears on your face when you came back inside. So if peter didn't upset you, then why have you been crying and what are you so afraid of'?

'That's it', Malia thought. That's the moment she had been dreading for a long time. Now she had to clear things up and hopefully she would still be a member of Scott's pack afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what is Scott and the rest of the pack going to say about it?  
> I promise there will be a lot of drama and feels. There is also going to be lots of Malia/Theo interaction.
> 
>  
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	9. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> this is by far the longest chapter I've written. There is a lot of pack interaction and some drama in here. I hope you like it as much as I do. 
> 
> Have fun :*

Scott noticed the beads of sweat on Malia's face and gently nudged her. 

'Come on, it can't be THAT bad'.

'You have no idea', Malia sighed deeply. 'You won't like what I am about to tell you but I must still ask you to keep it to yourself. I don't want the others to know about it – especially Liam and Stiles'.

'Um yeah sure. Whatever it is, I'll keep it to myself'.

'Thank you'. 

It was quiet for a moment after that until Malia cleared her throat nervously. 

'Honestly, I don't know where to start and how to explain it so you don't think ill of me', Malia started awkwardly. 

'I would never do that Malia. Why don't you finally sit down and we can talk about whatever worries you'.

Malia sat down next to Scott but kept her distance.

'You know that Stiles and me are not together anymore'. 

'Yeah I think everyone noticed that. It's a pity – but he told me that you split up as friends, so as long as the two of you are okay with it and get along, everything is fine. So has your predicament anything to do with Stiles'?

'Not directly. Actually it has everything do with Theo'.

'THEO'? Scott asked taken aback. However, when he noticed her nervousness, his voice softened and he gave her an encouraging smile. 'Well, tell me all about you and Theo. I try my best to be unbiased'. 

Malia, unable to hold it back any longer just told him the bitter truth.

'I'm in love with Theo. I have been for a while now'. 

She didn't dare to look at Scott after her revelation because she was not ready to see the disappointment and probably anger on his face. Scott was unable to find words at first. He didn't want to hurt her by saying something rash and he was also totally shocked. Malia was in love with Theo? When the hell did that happen?

'Can you just say something, please?'

Scott cleared his throat. Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by Stiles making his way over to them with a mad look on his face. 

'You LOVE this piece of shit? How the fuck are you capable of LOVING him? Have you forgotten what he did to you? To us? To me? How long have you been in love with him, huh? Where you already in love with him when we were still together? Did you cheat on me with him, huh? 

Malia gaped at him. How could he ask her something like that? After everything they had been through. She was deeply shocked. 

'That's enough', a firm voice said from behind Stiles.

'Oh no. I'm just getting started', Stiles said wildly gesticulating with his hands. 'Tell me something', his voice was now dripping with venom. 'Did you let him FUCK you'?

'STILES'? Scott looked at him in complete bewilderment but he didn't care. His whole attention was directed to Malia. 

Stiles shook her shoulder. 'DID HE FUCK YOU'? ANSWER M- …'

Before he even had the chance to finish his sentence, he was thrown aside and a furious Peter planted himself in front of him.

'Don't you EVER dare to talk to MY daughter like this again or I'll tear you apart limb from limb'.

Then he laid his arm around Malia's shoulders and gently pulled her up.

'Come on Sweetheart let's go. Everyone needs to calm down before you talk to each other', he said with a piercing look towards Stiles, who returned his look with a frown.

Malia had broke out into tears and kept very close beside Peter as he guided her away from the others. On their way, they passed by Liam, who looked angrily at her and couldn't bite back a totally inappropriate remark. 

'The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. Your father is a mendacious bastard and you're not any better', he told her in a holier-than-thou kind of way but his smug smirk was quickly swept away when Peter suddenly turned around and broke his nose and then just walked away as if nothing had happened. 

Scott walked over to Liam and offered him a hand. Liam asked him in a disbelieving voice: 'Did you see that? He, he just broke my nose'.

'Yeah I saw that. And you totally deserved it', he said letting go of his hand, which caused Liam to fall back to the ground. 

'What the fuck dude', Liam complained but Scott just ignored him. 

He walked back inside where Stiles had already told everyone about Malia's horrendous crime and was venting his anger.

'Well, to be perfectly honest Stiles, I don't believe that this concerns anyone of us'.

'How can you say such a thing Lydia? She deceived all of us. Who knows what she might have also helped him with'. 

'ENOUGH', Scott growled out angry. 'Lydia is totally right. This doesn't concern ANYONE of us. The way you and Liam treated Malia is unacceptable and I WON'T tolerate this behavior within my pack'.

'But she …'

'No BUTS. I expect the two of you to apologize when she is here the next time'.

'You can say goodbye to that', Stiles said crossing his arms.

'Yeah, I'll second that', Liam copied his gesture. 

'Fine, then you can both say goodbye to the rest of the pack until you are ready to behave like men and not some stupid little boys'. 

'No problem at all', Stiles rushed off and Liam quickly followed after him. 

'I'll talk to Liam, he can be a really stubborn person'.

'Yeah maybe he'll listen to you Hayden or you Mason'.

'I take care of Stiles'.

'Thank you Lydia. I am going to look after Malia. I would ask you all to leave now and not come back here today because if Malia really cares about Theo, then she'll probably want to be here with him now and after everything that just happened, we should give her some time alone'. 

'Sure. You can tell her that we don't reproach her and if she needs a girl to talk to, I'm here'.

'I'll tell her that, Lydia. Alright, then we see each other tomorrow and discuss what we are going to do next. Get some rest'.

 

Peter had taken Malia to his place which was a very nice apartment on the outskirts of Beacon Hills. Malia hadn't spoken a word the entire way and Peter didn't want to press her. When they entered his flat, he took of her jacket and shoes and guided her over to the couch, where she just plopped down. He took of his own clothes and then went to the kitchen where he made some hot chocolate. When it was finished, he came back into the living room and offered Malia a cup which she took gratefully. Now that she looked comfortable, Peter felt encouraged to talk to her about the goings-on.

'I'm sure they didn't mean it. Stiles cares a lot about you and the thought of you and Theo together must have been a complete shock for him. And that Liam kid is just dumb and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut'.

'But how could he say such things? He should know me better than that. We were each others first,' Malia added in a broken voice and Peter's heart melted upon seeing his daughter so depressed. 

'Maybe that's why. Being one's first is a pretty big deal and when you told Scott that you had been in love with Theo for some time he must have assumed that you loved him when the two of you were still together. He might have thought that he meant nothing to you and was just a means to an end to keep your fling with Theo a secret. I know that's completely far-fetched and you know it too but that kid has a wanton imagination'. 

Malia smiled at him. 'Thank you for everything that you have done for me today. I said some pretty harsh things to you in the past and I just want you to know that I'm sorry for that', her face blushed considerably when she finished her sentence.

'You have nothing to feel sorry for', Peter smiled back at her. 

Their private moment was abruptly broken by someone knocking at the door. Peter got off the couch and answered the door with a look on his face that was anything but inviting. When he saw who was standing in front of him it got even worse. 

'Can I talk to Malia for a second'? Scott asked nervously.

'Why, so you can insult her like the rest of your useless friends?'

'No, I'm not here to insult her. I want to apologize. I shouldn't have let the others treat her in such a way', he lowered his head ashamed of himself. 

'Fine you can come in. But if you upset her, I guarantee for nothing'.

Peter stepped to the side so Scott could enter and then let him into the living room. Malia was anything but happy to see him. She leaped to her feet and approached him angrily. 

'What are YOU doing here? I have nothing to say to you. Peter, he wants to leave'.

'Give him at least the chance to explain himself', Peter told her surprising not only Scott and Malia but also himself. 

'Fine. What do you want'?

'I'm here to apologize. I'm so sorry about what happened earlier. I should have interfered but I was too shocked about it myself so I just stood there like an idiot doing nothing. They had no right to say those things to you and I told them not to show up until they hadn't apologized to you'.

'You did?', Malia looked at him in bewilderment.

'Of course. You are part of my pack and we have been through a lot together. No one gets to treat you like that without consequences'.

'So I'm still part of the pack'?

'Don't be ridiculous. We need you. All of us. Lydia told me that if you need a girl to talk to, she'll be there for you. And I'm here for you too. We can't choose who we fall in love with. The heart wants what the heart wants', Scott shrugged.

'But it's Theo. You must hate him for everything that he has done to you. How can I ever be with him when I know that no one will ever forgive him'.

'It's the weak that can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. We ain't weak, are we'?

Malia shook her head.

'See, it's going to be okay eventually'.

Malia couldn't help but hug him. Scott was always so understanding and he really meant a lot to her. Whether intentional or unintentional he had just given her his blessing and that was more than she would have ever asked of him. 

'Just so you know, I have send everyone home. If you want to be there for Theo, he's all yours'.

Malia face reddened at that and she mumbled a 'thank you'.

'I need to go now. I promised my mum to pick her up from work. Don't forget that we have a pack meeting tomorrow. I want you to be there'.

Malia just nodded and Scott made his way over to the door. Before he could get out, Peter held him back. 

'Thank you for stopping by it meant a lot to her. I'm glad that some of you guys are still being reasonable'.

'I'm glad that the two of you are finally getting along. She never said it out loud but I know that she looks up to you. Don't disappoint her'.

Normally, Peter would have laughed about Scott telling him what to do but he knew how much he cared about his daughter so he just nodded.

'Yeah, yeah. Now get out. You have been testing my patience for far too long', however, it didn't come out as snarky as Peter had intended. Man, he was getting way too soft.

 

Malia was standing in front of the animal clinic now. Peter had dropped her off and told her to call him if she needed anything. Her heart was beating fast and she felt extremely nervous. 'Come on don't be such a pussy', she thought and tried to bolster herself up. There was a good chance that he was still asleep. After ten more minutes, she finally found the courage to enter the building and with weak knees made her way over to the room where Theo was still lying on the table asleep. She tried to be soft-footed but somehow managed to stumble and when she tried to steady herself on a chair, she just knocked it over and made a horrible noise. Theo woke with a start and looked around with eyes wide with fear, when his eyes fell on Malia sheepishly scratching her head he immediately relaxed. 

'Hey', he said in a hoarse voice. 'What are you doing here'?

There was no way Malia would tell him that she had been stricken with worry, so she fell back on an emergency lie.

'Well the others need to get some rest too, I'm on guard for the night'.

'What? Are you still worried I'll escape and step you guys in the back? In case you haven't noticed I can barely walk at the moment. Thanks for that by the way'.

Great. It's not like her day hadn't been shitty enough already, now Theo also had to be a little shit again. 

'I told you I'm sorry'.

'Actually, no. You never said that you were sorry. You said you didn't mean to do it but that's not the same. Oh and if you're all so scared, I might escape then why did they send only you to guard me tonight? Aren't they worried that I could defeat you and escape'? Theo asked her in a bitter voice.

'Go ahead. Try to defeat me. It's not like you have anywhere to go anyway'.

As soon as Malia had said that she regretted it because Theo's face quickly turned from angry to sad and then vulnerable. It happened in a matter of seconds before he put up his mask again but Malia knew that her words had stung him. 

'I'm better off alone anyway. I'm actually trying my hardest to become a better person and to redeem myself but you are all so self-righteous that I could never be good enough in your eyes'.

'We're not self-righteous and if we truly believed that you couldn't change, we'd send you back to hell long ago'.

'Oh yeah is that so? So if one of you thinks that there is no hope for me anymore, you'll just send me back'?

'Sure'.

Malia shrugged her shoulders and acted as if it didn't matter to her. She knew better than to show him that she cared. He had deceived her before, she wouldn't let it happen again. 

'You have no idea of what I have been through down there. No ones deserves that – not even me', he added in the smallest voice. 

Malia once again realized just how broken he actually was and suddenly her anger was swept away and all she wanted to do was to comfort him.

'Tell me about it'!

'What'?

'Tell me about what happened down there'!

'Why? So you can tell your pack mates about it and together you'll have a good laugh at me? Sorry, but I'll pass'.

'No, tell me about it so I might be able to understand you better'.

'You're not going to tell anyone else about it'?

'Nope'.

Theo considered it for some time, then he shook his head and sneered at her. 

'I don't need your pity'.

Malia felt like he had just slapped her right into the face. Her she was, prepared to listen to him and he snubbed her. 

'Go fuck yourself, Raeken'.  
She rushed off and as soon as she was outside, Malia got out her phone and dialed Peter's number. He immediately answered it.

'Hey, is everything okay'?

'No, can you pick me up'?

'What happened'?

'Nothing happened. Theo is just being the same little shit as always. I can't deal with him right now'. 

'You need to have more patience with him, Sweetheart. You can't expect him to simply pour his heart out to you'.

'I offered him to listen to whatever shit he had been through and he just snubs me'.

'What did you expect? You can't just go in there and wait for him to spill out his darkest secrets. Did it cross your mind that him acting like a jerk is his way of defending himself'?

'No I- …'

'Listen, I don't really know anything about the kid but I can relate to him trying to protect himself. It's what I have been doing my entire life as well. If it wasn't for you I'd still be walking around hurting other people's feelings without giving a damn. You showed me that it's okay to care for someone, maybe he just needs someone to care for him as well. Why don't you try to calm down a bit and then try it again? If it doesn't work you can still call me to pick you up'.

'Okay. Thank you d- … Thank you Peter'.

Before he had the chance to say anything else, Malia had already hung up. What was wrong with her? She had almost called him dad again. Sure he had proved more than helpful today, but a few good deeds didn't make up for all his wrongdoing. She really needed to be more careful. She didn't want him to get the wrong impression and to believe that everything was forgiven and they were a happy family.  
Malia walked around the clinic for a while longer until it began to rain and after she was already completely soaked, she decided that it might be time for her to go back inside. Theo looked more than a little surprised when she came into the room.

'I thought you had left'.

'The walk back to the clinic was faster than going home'. 

'It's not like you're already soaked from head to toe and it would have made a difference'.

Malia was just about to tell him to mind his own business when she saw the small smile on his face.

'Oh, I almost forgot that you are on guard for the night, so you had to come back. Sorry my bad'.

'Um yeah, exactly'.

Malia felt stupid when she realized that he had found out about her silly lie.

'I need to go and find a towel', she mumbled before she rushed out of the room. Hopefully Theo hadn't seen the blush on her face. 

She came back wrapped in a blanket and this time it was Theo's turn to blush when he realized that she was all naked under that blanket. Malia made herself comfortable on the floor and neither of them spoke a word for some time. Theo tried to get into a more comfortable position on the table but it was to no avail. It was cold and hard and his muscles ached from lying on it for hours. He had enough of it eventually so he screwed up his courage and hoped that Malia wouldn't say no to what he was about to ask her.

'Hey, um is there any chance that I um could join you on the floor'?

Malia looked up at him surprised, then she smiled softly.

'Sure. Let me just grab a few more blankets so we'll have it warm and cozy', her eyes widened. 'I haven't just said that, have I'?

Upon looking at Theo trying to suppress a laugh, she knew that she had indeed said it and quickly fled to search for more blankets. When she came back, Malia helped Theo to get off the table and onto the ground where she had constructed a nice little comfort zone.

'It's indeed warm and cozy', Theo grinned at her.

'Oh just shut up'.

However, Malia couldn't keep herself from returning his smile. When Theo turned around to lie on his back, he stifled a cry of pain. He had completely forgotten about his foot and managed to twist it in a really painful way. He gritted his teeth and hoped that the pain would quickly subside. Malia noticed how stiff he had become.

'Is everything okay'?

Theo just nodded because he didn't trust his voice to come out as firm as he wanted it to. 

'Oh please, stop kidding me. If I wouldn't be able to see the pain on your face, I'd still manage to smell it. Let me help you with that'!

Malia took away his pain and Theo just lied there not daring to move and enjoying the feeling of her hand on his skin. Unfortunately, it stopped far too soon for his liking.

'Thank you'.

'Your welcome'.

Silence descended upon them again. No one wanted to break it in fear of saying something wrong and provoking the other. Just when Malia was about to drift off to sleep, Theo started to speak in a low and shaky voice. 

'It was like a fucking nightmare. The only difference was that it started over and over again every time I woke up'.

'Huh'?

'Hell. You wanted to know what I've been through. I've literally been through hell'.

Malia was wide-awake now.

'I woke up in a morgue. I managed to get out of it and found myself in the middle of a corridor in the hospital. Then my sister suddenly emerged right in front of me and she came crawling at me. I tried to flee but the doors that let outside wouldn't open and when she managed to get to me, she stuck her hand right into my chest and slowly ripped my heart out. The next time I woke up, it was all the same. I woke up in a morgue again, managed to get out and my sister would be there in the middle of the corridor waiting for me. It always ended the same way – her ripping my heart out. After some time I just stopped running away from her and resigned myself to my fate. I thought I was going to suffer from this never-ending continuous loop of getting my heart ripped out for the rest of my life'.

At this point, Theo broke down. Tears were streaming down his face.

'I was so scared'. 

When something wet rolled down her face, Malia suddenly realized that she was crying too. 

'Hush, it's okay now. You don't have to be scared anymore', she told him and without thinking about it she hugged him tightly. Theo snuggled up against her and Malia held him until his breathing slowed down and he fell into a deep sleep. After a while Malia finally managed to fall asleep as well. 

They were both rudely awakened in the morning when someone rolled up the blinds and pulled away their blankets. Malia groaned and shielded her eyes with her arms. 

'Whoever this is, go away'!

'I wouldn't dream of it'.

Oh no, not him. That's all she needed.


End file.
